A New Life
by Silverwing2012
Summary: What will Ziio do when she discovers something shocking after her tough breakup? (Pre-Tomahawks and Briefcases Oneshot) Haytham/Ziio


Ziio curled up into a ball on the bathroom floor, staring at the foreboding pink plus sign on the test sitting next to her.

She was pregnant.

She was pregnant with Haytham's child.

Ziio curled tighter into herself. What was she going to do? It wasn't like she had many choices. She wasn't going to abort the baby, that was against all that she and her people believed in. She wasn't going to go back to Haytham either. If he didn't care about her and her people, he obviously wouldn't care about their child.

The now familiar anger started to build up in her stomach. How dare he lead her on for years?!

She wanted to go back to him terribly, but she also wished he would step in front of a speeding semi-truck at the same time. But...she didn't want to do this alone, and she didn't want to prove her mother right either. Ziio slowly pushed herself off the floor, looking into the mirror.

Her long, dark hair slipped over her shoulders as she took deep, calming breaths. She pressed her hands to her stomach. Ziio almost couldn't believe the absurdity of it all. She never really planned on having kids, neither did Haytham; yet, here she was with their child.

"What am I going to do?" she asked herself, again.

She walked out of the bathroom, turning to the phone sitting on the dresser. Her hand froze before she could touch it. Should she even tell him?

Her pride took over and she let out a huff, sitting on the edge of her bed. Ziio inwardly flinched as she remembered how it all fell apart.

* * *

"_What the hell is going on Haytham?! One minute you look ecstatic to see me and now you're telling me that it's over?"_

_Haytham started to pace in their living room, looking distraught and almost angry. _

_Ziio glanced up at his forehead, wondering why there was a bandage there._

"_Because...goddammit just leave!" he growled. He seemed to be looking at everything but her, especially the windows and doors._

"_I already told you! I forgive you. I know you wouldn't have even considered representing that man if you knew!"_

"_It's not that!"_

_Ziio huffed and stood in front of him, glaring up at him. "Then grow some damn balls and tell me. What the hell is it?!"_

"_I don't want to be with you anymore!" he snapped, glaring down at her._

_Ziio frowned. The expression didn't meet his eyes. He was hiding something, and she knew the cut on his forehead had something to do with it._

"_Why?" she hissed, fearing the answer. She desperately hoped that he would tell her the truth._

_Haytham looked lost for a few moments before he said the words she never thought he would say, "I can't be with an Indian. And I honestly could not give two shits that your family was involved in the real estate argument."_

_Ziio stiffened and her blood turned to ice in her veins before fury caused her to start seeing red. "Oh? That's it then? Fuck you," she snapped viciously, turning on her heel and walking out the door._

* * *

Ziio shook the memory out of her head. Even now, a month later, she didn't want to believe it. Haytham had always seemed interested in her people and their culture. He even helped her father around the old Reservation, never complaining about it once. Was that all a trick?

Ziio frowned at the thought. No, that wasn't it. Haytham was a good liar, it came with the lawyer business, but he could never lie to her.

No matter what he said, his eyes gave himself away.

That was always his downfall.

Ziio could see the agony behind the fake anger in his eyes, and she tried to think of what the other emotion she saw was. She never saw it in him before, and it scared her to think that he was feeling that way.

The emotion was utter terror and panic.

What was the asshole Brit hiding from her?

She flopped back on the bed and curled into herself as the familiar heartache settled in.

Goddamn him!

* * *

Haytham glared down at his answering machine. What in the hell did Miles want? He pressed the 'play' button.

"Haytham, I'm just calling to let you know that Reginald Birch was found guilty. You shouldn't have to worry for you and your family's safety anymore. If you have any questions, feel free to call me or Holden."

Flinching, Haytham moved to walk away before the rest of the message could play.

"I would tell your girlfriend and your family to be careful, though."

The message ended.

Haytham felt as if his feet were glued to the floor. Be careful? That's all the bastard had to say? Fuck him.

Haytham knew something Miles didn't, and that was what kept him up at night. There were other men involved with his sister's case. Other men that were yet to be found and are still carrying out their sick, perverted business.

There was no way in hell that Haytham was going to put Ziio in a position to be in danger. Pushing her away was the only way to keep her safe.

Haytham would die before he let anything hurt her.

Glancing over at his desk, he looked at the only picture of her he kept out. She was smiling and pushing her hair back from her face. Her parent's backyard was behind her and Haytham could see the family's dog running up to her.

With a sigh, Haytham walked away from the picture, not wanting to face what he did.

* * *

Ziio drummed her fingers against her rounded abdomen. Her mother sat in the nearby chair, giving her a kind look. Ziio nervously smiled back. She didn't know why she was so anxious. She just wanted to know that the baby was okay.

Surprisingly, Oiá:ner was Ziio's greatest help when it came to accepting the whole situation. Instead of judging her, like Ziio expected her to do, Oiá:ner was thrilled; despite the situation. Oiá:ner also told her the greatest piece of advice she could have received.

"_Remember that this is a baby. A child. Not a mistake. Not a regret. A baby. This child will love you no matter what, so don't worry and be the mother I know you can be."_

The ultrasound nurse walked in, flipping a few pages on her clipboard. "Hey Megan, I'm Allie and I'm gonna be the one scanning you today," the nurse smiled at her as she set her clipboard down on the counter. She grabbed a tube of gel and sat in the stool next to Ziio's bed. "Excited?" she asked, tugging on some gloves.

Ziio almost rolled her eyes at her American name. She honestly hated it. "And nervous," she admitted, glancing at her mother again.

"Aw, don't be. You're baby is gonna look so precious when I get 'em up on the screen," the middle aged woman chirped with a grin.

Ziio actually kind of liked Allie. She seemed to know what she was doing and was at ease, which helped calm Ziio's nerves.

"Alright, lift up the shirt so we can see the little tyke!"

Ziio slowly lifted her sweater, showing her five month old bump. She shivered when the cold gel was spread over her tummy.

"Sorry, I know that's a little cold. Alright," Allie apologized, picking up her tool, "ready to go?"

Ziio nodded, biting her lip as Allie began to run the end of the knobby looking thing over her stomach. A fuzzy picture began to show up on the little screen and it looked like gray mush to Ziio.

"And there's the head...Oh! Look at that little hand! What a cutie!" Allie paused and gave Ziio an expectant look.

"What? Is something wrong?" Ziio asked, wondering why the woman was looking at her like that.

"Dontcha wanna know the sex?"

Ziio bit her lip, she honestly wanted it to be a surprise, but now she was doubting her decision.

"She does," her mother said suddenly, giving her a knowing glance.

"Well, I'm happy to announce that you got a cute little boy in there. He's gonna be adorable, I can tell," Allie announced with a broad grin.

All of the air seemed to be sucked out of Ziio's lungs. She was going to have a boy?! Her heart began to flutter as she stared at the screen. She finally could start seeing some of the things Allie was pointing out. Reaching toward the screen, Ziio grazed her fingertips over the little hand.

Ziio looked back at Oiá:ner, feeling tears starting to form in her eyes.

Oiá:ner also looked like she was about to cry and reached for Ziio's hand. "A little grandson."

"Now we'll just clean ya up and-" Allie's face suddenly fell and she sharply moved the knob back toward a spot on Ziio's stomach. Her brows pinched as she stared at the screen. The corners of her mouth slowly fell.

"Honey, I'm going to need you to stay put for a few minutes, okay?" Allie asked, giving her a tense smile.

"Uh...okay," Ziio replied, glancing at the screen in confusion. What was wrong? Is the baby alright? Ziio didn't know what she would do if something was wrong.

Allie quickly cleaned Ziio up and left the room.

"Ista, what's happening?" Ziio asked, heart racing. Panic and dread started to weigh her down. Was her little boy okay? She hated not knowing what was going on.

Luckily, she didn't have to wait long. A tall man wearing a long, white coat walked in and Allie was close behind him.

The lanky doctor gave Ziio a warm smile. "Hey Megan, I'm Dr. Dozelich. Allie just wants to make sure everything is okay in there. This is most likely a false alarm but we can never be too careful," he explained, taking a seat.

He pulled on some gloves and Ziio flinched when the cold gel was put on her stomach again. "Okay Allie, where did you say it was?"

"Upper right quadrant. Lumbar region," Allie replied, glancing at Ziio with a warm grin.

Ziio relaxed. Okay, they weren't acting like something horrible was happening, so maybe the baby was okay.

The doctor slowly ran the knob over the part of Ziio's stomach below her ribs. He reached the right side and stared at the screen intently.

"Well, Allie, you're right. That's not supposed to be there." He paused and looked at Ziio. "Megan, I'm going to point to what appears to be a mass on the screen."

He pointed at a small, white blob on the screen. "Now, if you want, we can run a few tests and we can tell you what it is."

Ziio frowned. "What do you think it is?"

Dr. Dozelich sighed and gently set the tool down. "Megan, I'm not going to lie. We think it might be a tumor. Allie barely noticed it when she was scanning that side for the baby."

Tumor? The word echoed in Ziio's brain. Tumor?! "I have cancer?" she choked out.

Allie quickly reached forward and rested a gentle hand on Ziio's. "Honey, we said it was a tumor, not cancer. This one might just be hanging out in there and not causing trouble. Some tumors are just benign, or noncancerous. We want to run tests to see if it is malignant or not."

Dr. Dozelich arched a brow at Ziio. "So, would you want to run some tests? It's all up to you. We can after your baby is born or we can do it now if you want." He tapped the screen, slowly shifting it over and Ziio could see the little hand again, "Congratulations, by the way. We're sorry to make such a happy occasion a bummer."

Ziio bit her lip. "Will these tests hurt him?" she asked, gently rubbing the top of her stomach.

Dr. Dozelich shook his head. "Well, the mass is to the far right of your body, right underneath your liver. A biopsy wouldn't be dangerous to him."

Ziio took a deep breath. "Fine. Do it."

* * *

Haytham stared at his phone. Should he call her? Ask how she's doing?

_Like she would want to talk to you, you twat._

He began to pace. Dammit, he missed her. He missed her presence here. He wanted what they had back.

But, he paused in his pacing and stared out the window, what would happen if those traffickers decided he was their next target?

No, he couldn't do that to her.

He quickly walked away from the phone, trying to ignore how his heart felt like it was shriveling up in his chest.

* * *

Ziio never felt this crappy in her life.

Everything felt out of place and she still felt pregnant. She also felt like she was going to pass out at any moment. But, a little coo from the bundle in her arms reminded her why she shouldn't be so worried about everything else.

Big, dark eyes met hers as she stared down at her son. Ratonhnhaké:ton's little nose scrunched as his mouth opened wide to let a huge yawn escape.

He was perfect.

Ziio was almost shocked at how much she had come to love this little baby in such a short amount of time, but she didn't care.

Ratonhnhaké:ton blinked at her before staring at the light above them.

"I can't wait to take you home so everyone can see you, Little Bear," she whispered in Mohawk, gently running her finger down the baby's little cheek.

Ratonhnhaké:ton squawked and started to burrow into Ziio's chest, mouthing at her shirt.

"Hungry again? I fed you a couple hours ago!" she chuckled, shrugging her hospital gown off her shoulder.

The newborn greedily latched on and began to eat, curling his fingers into her loose, dark hair.

A gentle knock sounded on the door and Ziio looked to see her mother smiling warmly at her. "Kwhe, Ista."

The older woman slowly walked in and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Ziio, there's something I need to ask."

Ziio shifted Ratonhnhaké:ton in her arms a little, snickering at the little squeaks he made while he ate. "What is it?"

"Are you going to tell Haytham?"

Ziio snapped her head toward her with a scowl. "I did."

"No, you didn't. I know you didn't."

Ziio bit her lip and looked down at her baby. Haytham was the last person she wanted to talk about right now.

"Ziio, I know how you feel, and you know how we feel about him. But, we cannot stoop low. Not in this. He needs to know."

With a sigh, Ziio lightly played with the little wisps of dark hair escaping from her son's beanie. "I'll tell him when I get home."

"Good. Even after what he said, he deserves to know."

Ziio flinched. In the grand scheme of the life of Haytham Kenway, Ratonhnhaké:ton was probably going to be a nuisance.

Anger started to boil in her at the thought. How could anyone think something as precious as a baby could ruin things?

For what it was worth, Ziio was going to strive to be the best she can be, and it was all going to be for her son.

Would Haytham think the same?

She was terrified to find out.

* * *

Haytham drummed his fingers on the table, glancing at his watch.

Ziio could be here at any moment and his nerves were shot.

What was so important for her to come and speak to him?

It has almost been a year since they broke up and he didn't know if he could take seeing her again. He mentally hit himself. No, he was a grown man and he could deal with this like an adult.

He was not as worried about the traffickers seeking her out now, but he was almost tempted to ask Holden how that search was going. The case had been declared cold but Haytham knew better. Holden was probably still looking.

A soft knock sounded on the door and Haytham forced himself to get up in a calm, cool, collected manner.

Haytham took a deep breath before opening the door.

He was shocked to see what was in front of him.

There was Ziio, but she appeared to be carrying something that looked like a blanket draped over a car seat. A large bag was hanging off her other shoulder.

"Hey," she said softly.

Haytham gulped and stepped aside, letting her through, staring at the blanket in shock. "Hello."

Ziio walked in and strode toward the living room.

Haytham stood in a stunned silence as he watched her. There was no way. This couldn't have happened.

Forcing himself to move, Haytham robotically followed the love of his life into the living room.

Ziio gently set the car seat down on the coffee table and stood straight, dropping the bag onto the couch. She planted her hands on her hips and took a deep breath. "Before you ask; yes, that's a baby. And again, before you ask; yes, he's ours."

Haytham felt his throat close up as he stared at the blanket covered seat. A son?! He had a son?! Confusion and irritation started to boil in his chest. "Oh? Really? That would have been nice to know WHEN YOU FOUND OUT," he snapped, narrowing his eyes.

Ziio crossed her arms, sticking her nose in the air. "Well, you told me you didn't give two shits for my family so I figured you wouldn't really care. I'm only here because my mom told me I had to do this."

Haytham arched a brow. Her words didn't have the bite he was expecting.

She suddenly stomped over to him and poked his chest. "I swear to God, Haytham, if you say he's going to be one of your regrets I will make sure you pay for it."

His heart sunk to his feet at her words. Of course, that was his plan. She needed to think this way about him. She needed to think this way so she and the baby would stay safe now.

"Why would I regret him?" he asked quietly. Despite his earlier thought, her words still hurt. Why would he regret something like that? Yes, he never truly wanted children, but that didn't mean he was going to shun her and the child.

Ziio crossed her arms, letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know."

Haytham held his hands behind his back, wringing his wrists slightly at the awkward silence. "Can I see him or are you going to keep standing there like a guard dog? I'm his father for Christ's sake."

Her dark eyes narrowed and she let out a huff, gently pushing the blanket aside. After a few snaps and clicks, she stood straight, wrapping the baby in a blanket. Haytham felt like all of the air in his lungs was sucked from his body.

The little baby looked so tiny in her arms and Haytham could see a little, blue clad arm, wave around toward his mother's face.

"Here, make sure you support his head," she said, gently handing the baby over.

Haytham finally looked at his son's face and blinked as a pair of deep, brown eyes stared sleepily up at him. A yawn escaped from his little mouth and he rubbed at his nose with a squeak.

It seemed like time stood still in that moment. Haytham's lungs refused to cooperate and he finally sat down, staring down at his son.

His son.

He never thought he would think of those words.

"What's his name?" he managed to choke out.

"Connor."

"His real name?" Haytham asked, looking up at her with a knowing glance.

Ziio bit her lip before letting out a tiny sigh. "Ratonhnhaké:ton."

"How old is he?"

"Two months."

The baby let out a little 'Ah!' at the sound of Ziio's voice, waving his arms around. His big eyes blinked in curiosity and his little hands reached toward Haytham's face.

Gulping down the lump in his throat, he looked up at Ziio in irritation. How dare she keep something this important from him? _Oh wait…_ a little voice in his head sneered, _you wanted her to think you want nothing to do with her. Good job, you prat._

"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, trying to keep his voice level. Connor-Haytham didn't know why but he felt the name fit his son more-wrapped his little hand around Haytham's thumb, letting out another 'Ah!' at the sound of his voice.

Ziio sighed and sat down next to him on the couch. "I was...scared. I didn't know how you would react because of what you said and...what you've told me about how you feel about kids before."

Haytham nodded, wiggling his thumb a little, causing Connor to give him a big grin.

"Wow, that's weird."

Haytham gave her a puzzled expression. "What?"

"It usually takes him a while to smile at someone new."

Staring at the child in shock, Haytham wondered why the baby liked him that much. Children usually screamed and cried around him. Connor, though, was complacent and it didn't seem like he would be upset anytime soon.

"Curious," he stated, watching as the little baby's fingers reached for his face again.

Haytham didn't know how long they all sat there, just watching Connor wiggle around in Haytham's arms.

Deciding to finally get down to business, Haytham looked at Ziio again. "So...how do you want to work this out?"

The gears were turning in Haytham's head. In order to keep the most important things in his life safe, they couldn't be close to him. His heart felt like it was being torn apart as the thought came to mind, but his mind won the argument.

"Haytham?"

Haytham realized that he was spacing out as he thought and he shook those thoughts away. "Yes?"

"Do you want to try again? Maybe...with Ratonhnhaké:ton, we can start over," she mumbled, throwing nervous glances his way.

_Yes!_ "Ziio, I can't."

Haytham wanted to punch himself, multiple times.

Ziio scowled and crossed her arms. "Haytham, I know that you don't like our ways-"

"It doesn't have to do with your people," he quietly admitted, letting his fingertip trace Connor's cheek.

At least she wouldn't think he was a bigoted bastard now, hopefully.

"Does it have to do with this?" she asked, tapping the scar on his forehead.

Haytham winced. Damn it all, he never could lie to her that well.

"Perhaps."

She gave him a long, even stare for many moments.

"Ziio, I swear that what I said to you isn't true, but I cannot tell you the truth either," he choked out, staring down at his son's face. That baby was a perfect distraction.

Silence followed.

Haytham swore he could hear his own heart beating.

A heavy sigh escaped from her. "Fine. I want full custody if you're going to keep playing this game. And even though you told me you were lying, my people aren't going to believe that."

Haytham felt torn, but he knew what he had to do. He couldn't let either of them get hurt now, not because of his recklessness. He would die before he let that happen.

"That's fine. Just let me help when you need it," he finally said, mustering up the courage to look at her. Their gazes met and Haytham wondered if she could see his heart breaking.

"Okay," she said softly, tears spilling out of her eyes.

Haytham began to hate himself even more.

* * *

The foreboding, large stack of bills seemed to laugh at Ziio as she stared at them. Most of them were from the hospital. She still had to pay for all of her check-ups and the services she got when Ratonhnhaké:ton was born. Her insurance wasn't enough to cover for everything.

Ziio glanced at her baby, who was now sleeping in his crib in the corner of the room. What was she going to do? She couldn't do this on her own. Maybe if she talked to…

No! She couldn't ask him for help. Yes, Haytham did make her promise to let him help, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Her heart clenched when she thought about what Jenny told her a couple weeks ago. Haytham's sister had visited about a month after Ratonhnhaké:ton was born, which was surprising to Ziio. She never got along with the woman and had expected her to be recovering.

"_He's trying to protect you from what he had to do to save me. Those bastards are still out there and Haytham is scared."_

Ziio had thought many things about Haytham, but scared was never in those thoughts.

Jenny had told her _everything_. Ziio didn't know what to think by the time the woman finished talking. She finally realized why Haytham said the things he did and why he was so jumpy the day they ended it for good.

She tried to keep that in mind when she visited him with Ratonhnhaké:ton.

The image of the man she loved holding their child never left her mind. Haytham looked so torn and broken and Ziio didn't know what to do.

Her hand started to unconsciously drift to her right side, right below her ribs. Should she dare?

Ziio wanted to march right back to Saratoga Springs with all of her things in tow and go back to him and force him to accept that they didn't need to be protected.

But, she didn't want to end up hurting him in the long run.

Ziio didn't have the money to remove the tumor. There was no way she was going to tell Haytham about that either.

The doctors had said that it shouldn't cause trouble. But, they also said that if she didn't remove it, it could become cancerous over time.

All she could ask herself was; what if the tumor became cancerous?

She couldn't force Haytham to endure more pain.

The haunted look in his eyes confirmed what Jenny told her, and she couldn't bear to see that become worse.

And she knew her friends and family would be hellbent on making sure Haytham never saw them as well. Going back to him would also mean cutting herself and Ratonhnhaké:ton off from their community. Her mother may understand, but the other's wouldn't, and she didn't want to have her son miss what living here was like.

Dammit.

Ziio slumped down into her desk chair, burying her face in her hands.

She held back sobs, staring down at those damn bills with blurry eyes.

A loud squawk caused her to look over her shoulder, sniffing back tears.

Ratonhnhaké:ton was grabbing at his toes, rolling around in his crib.

Mentally shaking herself, Ziio managed to compose herself before walking over to the crib. She leaned on the side, letting her hand dangle down in Ratonhnhaké:ton's reach.

_He needs you. He needs you more than anyone. Quit feeling sorry for yourself and pull your shit together, _a stern voice ordered as the baby grabbed her fingers, smiling up at her.

Standing up straight, Ziio finally made a decision.

Haytham could have his way, but Ziio knew that letting him be too distant would never do.

She stepped over to her desk, swiping her camera off the corner. She stood next to the crib again. "Smile! Your Raké:ni needs it!"

Ratonhnhaké:ton delivered. He beamed up at the camera with a toothless grin, reaching up at the same time.

Ziio took the picture and she couldn't help but smile down at her son. Her heart seemed too big for her chest as Ratonhnhaké:ton let out a little 'Ah!' reaching up for her.

Ziio picked him up and stared out the window.

And in her heart, she knew everything was going to be okay.


End file.
